I am thinking about investing into one of those one man pontoon boats for fly fishing some of the smaller lakes this spring. I was just wondering if any of you guys have belly boats or pontoon boats, and if you liked them? I am not sure if i want to spend the extra bit of cash for the pontoon or not. But i do like the idea of sitting up above the water...

Do you ever think you might want to float rivers in the future. If you get a good pontoon you can get them with different class ratings for rivers, which will give you a lot of access to more places along some rivers. I haven't done this yet, but it is something to consider. Pontoons are nice on large lakes as well faster, and you can even get a electric motor for it.

If you are strictly using it for small lakes and hike in a belly or u boat is ideal. Light compact and easy to carry in a backpack. on big lakes when its windy they do cause some problems as it can be very hard to kick all the way across the lake into the wind, after it drifts you down there. If you always remember to paddle into the wind first away from the launch site it helps.

Many things to think about if your unsure maybe start with a used belly online they are like 50 to 100 bucks. Then later on get a pontoon if you decide otherwise. I like the belly because i fish a lot of alpine lakes where i need to hike in. That was the deciding factor for me.

good point on a river able pontoon. some friends float the Shuswap river for springs and do very well. they have also fished the kitimat . they said it gave them some great access away from the hordes.it might pay to spend the extra $ on a better one if there is any chance you might use it.like I said earlier, I love my float tube . so relaxing as long as the wind stays down!

All good things to consider! I thought about the river situation. Would be a cool experience floating the river woth all the water you would cover...i think the extra price will be the deciding factor....thnx guys

pontoon > float tube in every way. I used to have a tube, and made the switch as soon as I could. I have two now, a small, packable one and a larger, more stable one.you'll be very happy making the switch.

I got away from neoprenes many years ago. got the thin, lightweight ones, and yes, always wear them with the pontoon. one could easily wear just shorts though in the summer months, but I hate leaches also, so always wear my waders.

definitely prefer the breathable waders and they aren't too bad a price. I find it more comfortable in the cold water to dress warm wearing the breathables than my neoprenes. once the water warms up there is no comparison. breathables by a mile!